Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly today swore in a new class of 730 New York Police Department recruits. Today's graduating class will be the first of two to be hired from the police academy this year. This will be the first time that two classes will be hired in one year and will now become standard practice for the NYPD and means the department's headcount and patrol strength will remain more level throughout the year.

The hiring of the new officers will be done with the help of $90 million in Federal funds through the national "COPS" program. The swearing in ceremony took place at Brooklyn College.

"Our Finest have made this the nation's safest large city, and that success in driving crime down is a major reason why the New York's economy is coming back," said Mayor Bloomberg. "Now, graduating two classes a year, instead of just one, the NYPD will be able to keep a more level headcount of uniformed officers throughout the year which means more cops will be out on the street in the second half of the year, including for the Republican National Convention. That will allow the Department to improve training, and enable the men and women of the NYPD to build upon our historic successes in crime fighting. As I said in the State of the City two weeks ago, we are not going to allow our success in fighting crime make us complacent and there is no stronger sign of our commitment to making an even safer City than through the hiring of more Police Officers. "

"The New York City Police Department recognizes that we are only as strong as the recruits we accept," said Commissioner Kelly. "Therefore, we are heavily invested in their success. These men and women represent the future of this Department and we wish them strength and courage as they start on the road to becoming officers."

This class of recruits will be the second class to graduate in the 2004 fiscal year. This is significant in the hiring process because with more frequent classes, the police department will be able to more closely combat attrition of department numbers. The following is a breakdown of gender and ethnicity of the 730 recruits being sworn in: